Notebook: Cross-Handed Pro Qualifies For First U.S. Senior Open

By Ryan Morgan and Alex Miceli

Kettering, Ohio – Junior golf, college golf, professional career. This progression is familiar to most of the competitors at this week's U.S. Senior Open Championship. One player, however, took a distinctly different route.

Albert Crews grew up, and still resides, in the small town of Homer, La. He was introduced to the game as a caddie at a local golf course. Fascinated by the ball-and-stick game, he played "sandlot golf" with his friends before ever playing on a golf course. After this initial encounter with the game, Crews gave it up to pursue baseball, football, and basketball, as his school did not sponsor a golf team.

As he began his career as a concrete mason, Crews was abruptly re-introduced to the game by his brother, who one day came home with a set of clubs and announced that they were heading to the golf course. There was one catch: Crews is left-handed, and there were no left-handed clubs available to him. Without missing a beat, Crews picked up the club with his lefty baseball grip, and swung like a right-hander. That's right, he swings cross-handed. After eight holes, Crews quietly proclaimed to his brother, "I can play this game."

Crews eventually became a consistent recreational player and before long had developed into a solid player. He finally decided to test himself against some better players in an amateur event in Longview, Texas. This unknown, middle-aged man from Louisiana posted a 9-under-par score and left the rest of the field scratching their heads. This proved to be a major turning point in Crews' life.

"It showed me where I stood," he said. "It showed me that I really was a good player. One of the pros at the course told me I could beat any amateur in a 300-mile radius. That gave me the confidence I needed."

Crews turned professional in the late 1990s, qualifying for several Ben Hogan Tour and Nike Tour events via Monday qualifiers. He finally ended up on the Heartland Players Senior Tour, where he has been playing on a regular basis for the past five years. But this week is different; this week Crews is participating in a major championship, and more important, a national championship.

"I believe this is my time," said Crews. "This has always been the goal – to play with the best. It really hasn't sunk in yet that I'm playing in a major championship."

Despite his excitement and sense of pride at having qualified for the U.S. Senior Open, Crews is quick to point out that he is focused on his golf game, not just having a good time.

"I need to control my emotions and stay focused while I'm here," he said. "You absolutely have to keep the ball in the fairway . . . if you hit it in the rough, you're probably chipping back out to the fairway."

An Associate Minister at his church back in Homer, La., Crews is also very adamant about how he got here. And he does not attribute this trip to luck.

"I'm here representing my family and my church," he said. "They are the reason I'm here and their support has kept me going. I have my wife and daughter out here, my brother is on the bag this week, and his wife and my sister are coming out as well. This is just a dream come true."

Crews main goal is to play on the Champions Tour on a regular basis, and with his cross-handed style, he is already accustomed to the type of media coverage many Tour regulars deal with week-in and week-out.

"It's normal for me," he admitted. "It's such a mental game – you have to control your mind. I've gotten quite a bit of notoriety from being a cross-hand player. But playing cross-handed is just part of my game. The notoriety doesn't bother me. The goal is to play on a national stage . . . that's what this is all about."

So, after the long, winding path to this championship, what are Crews' expectations for the week?

"If I can stay away from big numbers, I think I can do very well out here."

With that kind of confidence, maybe he's not so unconventional after all.

Irwin's Thoughts

Designed by Dick Wilson in 1954, NCR South is a classic design with tree-lined fairways and large undulating greens.  The greens according to seven-time senior major champion Hale Irwin will ultimately be the big challenge this week, but the unfamiliarity of the course will be a challenge early.

"It may take several more rounds before the players get even semi-comfortable with knowing where to play it, and this rain is going to make the course play differently certainly than what we've seen over the last few days," said Irwin of rain that pelted the course Wednesday.

Irwin didn't intended to play 18 holes on Wednesday, but when he found the forecast was for a wind shift he decided to play to get as much knowledge as possible about the course. 

The rain that came on Wednesday will also change the course, and the knowledge gained from Monday and Tuesday in warm and dry conditions may not be as much of help in the early rounds until the course dries out, most likely on the weekend.

While Irwin feels like he has prepared as much as possible, he still has some lingering doubts.

"I don't know if this course would ever say that you've prepared completely, simply because the greens have so much slope in them," said Irwin. "The question running rampant in the locker room is, ‘Where are you going to find four hole locations on some of these greens?'  Anyway, everybody is guessing where they're going to be, and we all are experts, it'll be here, it'll be there, and you never know until you get out there."

Jacobsen Smarting

Defending champion Peter Jacobsen is still smarting from a twisted knee he suffered during the second round of the Senior British Open last week at Royal Aberdeen.  Having to take a stance over the edge of a bunker, Jacobsen twisted his right knee at the 12^th hole, the same one he had arthroscopic surgery on this spring. He hit a shot and limped in the last six holes. 

At the time Jacobsen thought about withdrawing, but by Saturday morning decided to give it a go and finished tied for 56th. The only pain Jacobsen has now is when he is close to impact. His knee still gives him some pain, but does not believe it will make any difference in his defense this week.   

Palmer's Record

Arnold Palmer is playing in his 25^th U.S. Senior Open.  Winning his first Senior Open in 1981, Palmer has only come close two other times -- in 1982 as defending champion when he finished tied for fifth and in 1984 when he led every round but shot a 74 to finish second to Miller Barber.

Since 1998 when he finished 51^st Palmer has not made the cut. He missed the cut in the only other senior major he played this year, at the Senior PGA Championship.

Yet, Palmer holds up hope, both realistic and unrealistic.

"I'd probably settle for a couple of 68s the first two rounds and then cap that off with a couple of 69s the second two rounds, and if I don't win I'll be happy," he said. "If I can shoot around par, I would be pretty happy.  I haven't been doing that too much.  Maybe at Latrobe I can still muster a few rounds at par or 1 under or something like that, but to continue to do it day in and day out is difficult."

Ryan Morgan is a Programs Associate with the USGA. Alex Miceli is a free-lance writer whose work has appeared previously on www.ussenioropen.com.